May 18, 2006

Early tomorrow morning, we will be flying off with some of the Usual Suspects to our regular spot in Florida and what can fairly be described as “Summer Camp for Grown-ups”. After we arrive, one of our first stops will be at the same local liquor store we descend upon each year, and the owner will be giddy as a schoolgirl as we check out with the first installment of our “supplies”.

From there, it will be a visit to Publix (for some incidental edibles and stuff), which for us Yankees is a treat, as we have few supermarkets in Jersey that we like as much as we like Publix. The store employees are always very nice in comparison to the graduates of the Lodi Charm School to which we have become accustomed in Jersey. And, Bonus! Publix sells beer! (Supermarkets are not permitted to sell beer in the Garden State — the Liquor Lobby is POWERFUL).

Then it’s on to where we have our summer abodes, where we will commandeer a shopping cart, fill it with “libations” and on which we will affix our “Jersey Juice Wagon” sign. We will greet old friends from other parts of the country as far-flung as Washington State and the “Great City of Fort Wayne, Indiana”. Good peeps, all. Seeing the same people every year is a bit like a blogmeet, except no one (except Yours Truly) is a blogger. We sip, dip, and catch up. It’s nice.

I am pleased to tell you that I have left keys to the Rest Stop with some primo folks. I fully expect that Eric will leave his tracks here when he returns next week from Scotland. (He deserves a chance to “get even”.) I’ve also left a set of keys with daughter, TJ, who may stop by. Craig and Dogette were also invited to toss a few turds into the cyber-punchbowl. Both of them already have the run of this place (Craig built it), but Craig has lots of Life 101 going on at the moment, and Dogette will still be on hiatus for much of the time I am away. Still, either or both of them may show up to leave a word or two here.

I’d like to thank all of them in advance for minding the store, and I shall return some time around Memorial Day — give or take.

Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I do NOT travel with a laptop, and, besides, the whole “wireless” thing makes my hair hurt, so I won’t be checking up on you. So, please play nice while I’m gone.